While I am not a
major collector of any 12" G.I.Joes anymore, every so
often one comes along that is (a) based on a prominent 3-3/4" character
and (b) is a cool enough figure in its own right that I don't mind
bringing it home. Especially when (c) -- it's on sale.

I don't remember
seeing this one before, although according to a couple
of friends of mine, it HAS been out, or WAS, anyway, some time ago.
Maybe
the initial, and probably full price, shipments just bypassed this town
for some reason. Anyway, I found him at K*B Toys in late March, with
a
$7.99 price tag on him, and decided to give him a home in my collection.

The figure is WILD
BILL. First introduced in 1983, the original Wild Bill
was sold with the Dragonfly Helicopter. The character made multiple
appearances in the animated series, and was always portrayed as an
enthusiastic and somewhat stereotypical Texas cowboy, but he had a good
heart and as intense a dislike for Cobra as any of the other Joes.

A revised figure
of Wild Bill was introduced in the early 1990's, and he
has made several appearances in the new-sculpt line, where for whatever
reason, he decided to shave his head, making him look more than a little
like WWE professional wrestler -- and fellow Texan -- Stone Cold Steve
Austin.

While this new 12"
version of Wild Bill doesn't especially resemble ANY
specific, previous 3-3/4" version of the figure, (and he's distinctly
not
bald), there's also certainly no denying that the character is Wild
Bill.
You could hand this figure out of its package to any knowledgable
collector of the Real American Hero and he'd know who it is.

I have to say, I'm
impressed. The full cloth outfit pieces and the number
of accessories -- most of which are designed to be worn by the figure
--
that Wild Bill comes with, I would expect this figure to fit in the
$14.99 bracket at original retail, so I sort of feel like I got him
for
half price.

Wild Bill is outfitted
in a leather-like jacket (granted there is no
shirt under it), a rather high-tech looking plastic harness with a gun
holster, trousers, and very nicely detailed cowboy boots, the details
of
which are unfortunately mostly obscured by the trousers. Add to this
Wild
Bill's mandatory cowboy hat, and the image is nearly complete. It's
topped off by a pair of sunglasses, which unfortunately don't wrap around
the ears of the figure, but they do stay put fairly well. Wild Bill
always wears sunglasses. However, there's a steely determined gaze on
the
face beneath those shades that looks just as -- "Wild-Bill-ish"
as anything.

The gun that slips
very neatly into the holster is quite an impressive
little accessory, too. The ammo clip pops out, and the top of the gun
slides back and forth. Amazing number of moving parts for such a small
accessory. He also comes with a rather fanciful double-barreled, spring-
loaded, missile-firing shotgun. A little less plausible-looking than
the
rest of his equipment, but still not something I'd want to be on the
wrong end of.

The photograph on
the back of the package shows Wild Bill sitting in the
cockpit of a small, one-man helicopter that looks a bit like a 12"
scaleversion of the small Locust helicopter from the original 3-3/4"
line. I have no idea what this item is or where they got it. I suppose
it
could even be from the original 12" line, but Hasbro's Legal department
wants us all to know, thanks to text on the card, "Helicopter Not
Included". Um, I think we could figure that one out, okay? Thanks
much.

This figure is part
of the "Valor vs. Venom" series, and the situational
report for Wild Bill on the back of the card reads as follows: "Wild
Bill
has flown hundreds of missions, from routine transports to explosive
ambushes. But the strangest scene he encountered so far was a drop zone
crawling with Sand Scorpion troopers. After a fly-over to assess the
situation, he blasted the area with sleeing gas grenades. The team
completed their reconassiance on Cobra Commander and was out of there
before the hideous hybrids awoke from their naps."

To see how Cobra
Commander reacted to that, be sure to read my review of
the 12" Cobra Commander figure I purchased when I also got Wild
Bill.

Soft talking, slow
walking, easy-going and hard-riding, WILD BILL might
have been a Cavalry trooper, a real horse-soldier in another age. These
days, the mount of a cavalry trooper eats jet fuel instead of oats,
and
comes with rotoe blades instead of a saddle blanket. With Wild Bill
at
the controls, that helicopter can gallop like the wind, take a turn
like
a thoroughbred at the track, and stop on a dime. A lot of chopper pilots
won't think twice about taking you into a hot landing zone. They come
in
low over the treetops, flare, drop down low enough so you can jump
without breaking a leg, and then they are out of there. When you need
to
get out of that LZ, when the enemy is working overtime and the tracers
are thick in the air like angry bees, no pilot in his right mind is
coming in for you - except Wild Bill. He'll be there for you, every
time.

"I'm the bus
driver. It's my job to get the boys in to do their job, and
if that means hanging tough in a hairy situation, that's okay. That's
what I get paid for. Heck, if it was easy, they could get anybody to
do it."

This really is an
excellent 12" representation of, if not one of the
"first-tier" Joes such as Duke, Snake-Eyes, or Scarlett, then
certainly
one of the most memorable members of the G.I.Joe Team. I found him in
late March, and I recommend checking your local K*B to see if they
received any of this superb figure. WILD BILL will make a fine addition
to your 12" G.I.JOE collection!